The population of the small country of Sri Lanka is 21,325,000 people that speak Sinhalese and Tamil. The capital is Colombo, the port of call for today. Described as a tropical Buddhist Island, it is filled with political turmoil. It is a land of sand and cinnamon on a tear-drop shaped island at the tip of India. Another name for Sri Lanka in the past was Ceylon. These days we associate the name Ceylon with tea. And for good reason.
The steamy tropical air is the best for growing tea and cinnamon. The interior of the island is dedicated to numerous tea and cinnamon plantations, and both are still processed by hand at many of them. We have visited each of these venues a few years ago while exploring the southeast part of the island, around the bottom, and back to Colombo. Tea leaves were hand-picked by young and older women, and the cinnamon bark was peeled with fine cutting tools by the men trained in the art. Fascinating. Gave us a much better appreciation of both favorite products.
The best time to visit is from December through March, mostly to avoid the southwest monsoons. When it rains here, you know it, as it can be torrential. Last year right before sail away, we saw rain so heavy, we could not see the pier. We also had a massive thundercloud pass overhead, with unbelievable lightning strikes. Even got some photos of the jagged lightning as it nearly struck the ship. Not so this year. It remained hot and sticky all day.
There are a lot of things to do and see in and around Colombo. Museums, monuments, the colonial sections of Colombo, palace ruins, and the Dutch colonial buildings in historic Galle. Two years ago, we spent a wonderful night at the Amagalla Hotel in Galle, exploring that unique island/fort.
At that time, we had an extended stay in Yala National Park to see the leopards and other exotic wildlife out of the safari camp. In luxury tents, no less. Would have been a perfect experience had it not been for the unreal heatwave they were having across the entire island. You have no idea how a tent will heat up during the day. Even with the help of overhead and stand fans, we slept very little. Good thing the staff kept all of us out most of the day and early evening in the safari vehicles. We would highly recommend it.
Another interesting, but fun trip, was to see the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. The downside was a most long ride in a train to get there, and a heart-stopping bus ride getting back. Speeding down a narrow two-lane road, we passed by locals out to dinner by then, and even witnessing family funeral ceremonies at roadside restaurants. Seem to remember that the ship had to wait for us to come back that evening.
Another fun excursion was to see Pinnawela, the elephant orphanage, a three or more hour ride to get there. We had gone on the vintage train the first time, and it took even longer, but what a ride. Learning about these wonderful animals, then watching them parade to the river for a washing was priceless.
What is there to eat here? Try a favorite treat called hoppers, which are pancakes made with fermented rice and coconut milk, with anything you like added to the batter. The drink of the day is a toddy, a fermented palm sap wine.
Trademarks are Ceylon tea, Tamil Tigers, and cinnamon. It is a spice that Sri Lanka gave the world since at least 2000 years ago.
There were 16 tours offered through HAL’s shore excursion staff. The most expensive was a tour overland to see the Taj Mahal and Jaipur in India. Our tablemate, Brenda, was one of the few that booked this 4 day 3 night tour. It cost from $5500 to $6500 each. Glad we went to see the Taj Mahal in 2007, because back then, we did it for $1800, with a $400 credit refunded back from our travel agency. We do expect Brenda to come back with lots to tell.
The other expensive tour was a flight to Kandy to see the Temple of the Tooth. This tour would set you back $2000, and took most of the day. Not sure how many signed up for this one.
The rest of the tours were mostly city tours from $40 and up. We have done most of these at least once.
We were on our own today, choosing to take the street out of the gate to the commercial part of the city and the international hotels. It takes a strong resolve with both of us to navigate our way through the persistant tuk-tuk drivers, who seldom hear the answer “no thanks” to their ridiculous offers of $1 to $5 a person ride to see the city. Been there, done that……just want to take a walk. Unheard of, they say no one walks in this city…..it is too dangerous.
The first hotel we ducked in was the Kingsbury. What a beautiful property. And the best thing is that once you are on their property, the tuk-tuk and taxi drivers are not allowed to harass anyone. This is where we ran into friends Harvey and Barbara, a couple that has had a dining room table close to ours over recent years. They shared a story about getting into one of the those tuk-tuks for what they thought was a short ride to the hotels. Turned out the driver took them for a ride to places unknown….not where they asked to go. Then he would not stop to let them out, unless they paid lots of money. Frightened, they actually called police for help, refusing to pay the driver any more money. This is not the first time hearing scary stories about these seemingly harmless rides. Some have been taken to their destination, but had to fight over sudden changing prices. Never believe $1 a person will get you very far, because they lie. Sad to say, it is a way of life here, so that is why we choose to walk instead. Yes, you can negotiate a civilized taxi at the pier, like we saw Captain Mercer, his wife, and a close friend did this morning. Paying more here can be the wisest choice.
Cooling off in the Kingsbury, we located the patio/pool café where we did find pizza on the menu. However, it was only 10:30am, and way too early for beer. This would be an option later in the afternoon though.
Continuing on, we followed the main road where we passed the colonial buildings that house the seat of government of the capital. Heavily guarded by armed military, we did get some good photos of the mid-19th century buildings, now surrounded by towering skyscrapers. Speaking of high rises, more and more are in the process of going up in this area. Construction cranes could be seen everywhere we looked.
From the pier area, a massive land reclamation has been ongoing since we have been stopping here over the years. With funds from China, according to the signs, a most modern complex will be built here eventually. Appeared to be apartments, shopping malls, entertainment, and small boat and yacht harbors…..all on a big scale. We are only guessing, but it looked like cruise ships may have a spot here as well. What an improvement that would be, if we could be removed from the commercial zones.
Did we mention that another cruise ship was in port with us? It was Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator, a lovely small ship of 28,550 gross tons. Launched in 1999, it holds from 490 to 530 passengers. It is a premium, all-inclusive ship for all cruisers. We have had the chance to sail on her several times years past, and found the accommodations to be most pleasing and spacious. It wasn’t until recently, that this ship has begun more world-type voyages. The only downside we recall, is that there was one heck of a vibration in the aft areas, which has been addressed in 2009. They were docked in a remote pier, that required a shuttle ride to the gate only, we think. On the front of our daily newsletter, it was mentioned that due to very strict taxi and tuk-tuk union organizations, shuttle bus services were not permitted.
So our hike continued past the Galle Face Green, along the Laccadive Sea. This used to be an area where this grassy promenade stretched for ¼ mile, and was used as a horse racing and golf course venue back in 1859. Today, there is only patchy grass with vendors set up along the way. Snack food and drinks are sold, as well as occasional locals with baskets of cobras or little monkeys you can take photos of. Naturally, these photos will be met with a charge or else. We have learned not to take any as these fellows can be nasty. And the snakes are something to avoid….de-fanged or not. Some of the carts had the pancakes with crab meat or fruit sitting under glass in the hottest het of the day. You would be crazy to sample any of it. The locals were buying and eating it right on the spot.
At the end of the greens was the famous Galle Face Hotel, a blast from the past. Colonial in nature, it was not the typical modern high rise that will be dotting this coastline soon. Going into the marble-clad lobby was pure pleasure, as the coolness of the air-conditioning hit us in the face. Finding the doors to the outdoor patio, we took seats on the veranda where a breeze blew from the ocean below. Open-air and overhead fans helped cool us down. But the large Tiger beers even did a better job. We ordered a ham and cheese panini to share, and it was more than we needed, because it came with a pile of seasoned potato chips and a side salad. Guess the pizza will have to wait until the next port.
While we dined, three or more little chipmunks ran across the folded shades and balcony at eye-level. Baiting them with crumbs from the chips, we got some very good close-up photos of them as they munched away. But at one point, a crow charged them, and we ended up with the smallest chipmunk on one of our laps. Took both of us by surprise. And they have sharp claws. When they started coming too close to our heads, we stopped feeding them.
Time to move on, we explored the beach and the grounds around this hotel. We wonder how time and the creeping modern facilities will affect the elegance of the past like this hotel. We spoke to one British couple sitting near us, who were also laughing with the antics of the chipmunks. They were here to re-live their experiences of vacationing here from England as children. In particular, they were looking for black and white photos depicting the hotel back in the old colonial days. They would have loved visiting the Amsterdam, where those very black and white pictures line our hallways on most passenger decks.
Walking back was not so bad regarding the heat. A nice breeze had appeared at our backs, as could be seen by the kites that were being flown from the grass of Galle Face Green. By the way, there is no swimming here, as there are signs that say to stay out of the water due to poisonous species. Due to amount of garbage we saw at one end, pollution may be extremely bad here too.
We survived the many “touts”, well dressed fellows who will try to sell you a ride to see the elephant procession that may or may not be taking place at the Gangaramaya temple nearby. We have been advised not to believe any of them, so we don’t. The pressure is not so bad going back, because they know the ship would be leaving after 5:30pm.
Having a little bit of rupee left, we walked quickly through the marketplace at the pier. The change we got at the hotel was equal to 78 cents USD (120 rupee), so it would not purchase much, if anything. Adding one dollar, we got a satin pill case. Finding one more silky top for dinner wear was a deal at $5. The vendors were most happy to take the US dollars as long as they were fairly new and not ripped. Can’t blame them, as the local banks will not accept ripped or old money. Their wood carvings were nice, but the vendors were asking way too much. Good thing, because we have run out of room at home for any of it.
The sail away was shortly after 6pm. It was interesting watching the cranes loading or off-loading containers of the ship behind us. This goes on day and night here, as Colombo is probably the largest port in the island. The best thing was watching a couple of raptors flying overhead.
Dinner came and found six of us there. Two were missing, and we were done by 9:30pm. The clocks went back ½ hour which was nice.
By the way, we have run into problems posting photos. But it is being worked on, and we hope to be back to normal soon.
Bill & Mary Ann
Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka
View of downtown from the port
Cranes that load and off-load container ships
Watching the process that goes on all day
Giant Buddhist stupa at the port
Part of the pier marketplace
Many bargains if you shop smart
Early buyers
Sri Lanka dancers
Girls dancers were pretty
